A thunderbolt struck a plane on yesterday at dawn when it was flying from the Beijing Capital Airport to Kunming City, Yunnan Province. The bolt hit the radome but caused no deaths and injuries.

The flight, CA4174, Air China, was struck by lightning while cruising at 1,100 foot to 1,500 feet. The pilot asked permission to land due to security concerns when the thunderbolt struck. The plane descended and landed at the Beijing Capital Airport 20 minutes later.

The flight, CA4174, Air China, landed at Beijing Capital Airport after being struck by a thunderbolt on its radar cover yesterday at dawn. The thunderbolt created a 2,500-square-centimeter hole in front of the plane. The accident caused no deaths or injuries among the passengers. (photo: sina.com.cn)

Airport staff blocked off the runway where the plane landed. They discovered a 2,500-square-centimeter hole on the aircraft's radome. All passengers were sent into the waiting room and then authorities arranged for them to go to neighboring hotels to rest.

Officials from Air China said that the flight would be delayed for several hours due to the harsh weather conditions. It departed again before noon yesterday.

(China.org.cn by Wu Jin October 29, 2007)